Everybody was anticipating a tussle — but not between these dudes. During the opening period of Wednesday’s Battle of Alberta, Sluggin’ Sean and Knuckles Nuge dropped their gloves and duked it out in front of the benches. Monahan, 25, had never scrapped at the NHL level, while the 26-year-old Nugent-Hopkins now has three bouts on his resume. Don’t expect the fists to fly again, but Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers will be hoping for revenge of another sort after Monahan scored the shootout winner at Rogers Place.

FIVE STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

THAT WAS FUN

Wednesday’s instalment of the Battle of Alberta at Rogers Place lived up to the hype and then some — and not just because Zack Kassian and Matthew Tkachuk settled their feud with a spirited scrap. Sixty-five minutes of intense, entertaining hockey solved absolutely nothing, with the Flames ultimately prevailing in a shootout. Sean Monahan had the lone snipe in the skills competition, while the Oilers clanked the post twice. Saturday’s rematch should be another must-see.

ALBERTA ADVANTAGE

Thanks to three consecutive victories, the Flames have already clinched the regular-season series against their provincial foes. The first meeting was a little lopsided, but the past two have both ended with a 4-3 score, one in regulation and the other in a shootout. The Oilers hosted the defending Stanley Cup champs Friday before hustling to Calgary, but they won’t be able to use that as an excuse since the Flames faced that exact same scenario earlier this week.

HARD FEELINGS?

Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was livid after Mark Giordano — a teammate at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game — clipped his leg during the latest matchup. Giordano explained Friday he was simply trying to get a piece of McDavid as he zipped past, stressing it was “an honest play,” and Flames general manager Brad Treliving characterized any suggestion of malicious intent as “complete garbage.” With Tkachuk-Kassian settled, this could be the new subplot.

PRODUCTIVE PALS

The Art Ross Trophy race is turning into a head-to-head showdown between Edmonton’s marquee forwards. Heading into Friday’s date against the St. Louis Blues, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were sharing top peg on the NHL’s season-long scoring race, with 77 points apiece. Both have tallied three points — that includes a pair of goals for McDavid and all assists for his friend and sometimes-linemate — in three meetings with the Flames so far.

THIS N’ THAT

With his next point, Johnny Gaudreau will climb into the Top-10 on the Flames’ franchise scoring charts … Oilers winger Joakim Nygard and rearguard Kris Russell were both injured Wednesday, with Tyler Benson and Wiliam Lagesson recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors as reinforcements … Flames defenceman Juuso Valimaki has resumed skating, a significant step as he recovers from surgery this summer on a torn ACL.

This Week's Flyers

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